Pressure activated devices



Aug- 4, 1964 D. 1.. SPENDER PRESSURE ACTIVATED DEVICES Filed May 17, 1962 INVENTOR ypondw ATTORNEY United States Patent M 3,142,917 PRESSURE ACTIVATED DEVICES Donald L. Spender, Cheshire, Conn, assignor t0 Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed May 17, 1962, Ser. No. 195,628 Claims. (Cl. 40-57) My invention relates to pressure activated devices and one of the uses contemplated is for movable display figures or animated toy figures.

It is known that a body of material consisting of a multiplicity of integrally united, elastically walled, closed gas-containing cells, such as foam rubber or foamy elastic plastic material, will expand or contract as the pressure of a fluid medium surrounding such body of material is decreased or increased.

According to my invention, an elongated body or strip of such material is suspended or supported in a compartment which may be subjected to variations in pressure. One or more of the surface areas of such a body have fixed thereto some compartively inextensible means which will resist elongation or contraction of the body in the region of such surfaces. Thus, on an increase in the environmental pressure, the portions of the body which are free to contract will do so and cause the body to flex or move into the shape of a curve. In most instances, the body will have opposed parallel elongate faces, one of which may be free to expand and contract, whereas such expansion and contraction are resisted along the opposing face. Preferably, this is accomplished by means of a relatively inextensible tape adhesively secured to those surfaces of the body of foam material where it is desired to prevent elongation or contraction. This may be a thin plastic tape or a treated fabric tape. There may also be an integral portion of the elastic body having no gas cells along one face so that contraction and expansion will be resisted along such face.

In any case, the means employed on the surface which is not to be contracted by pressure will seal such surface so as to prevent pressure changes from directly affecting the cells in the region of such surface.

In view of the substantial range of movement of portions of such an elongate flexible body in response to pressure variations, my invention makes possible a simple, economical and easily read pressure indicator.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear.

-In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for purposes of illustration two variations of the invention and two general types of movable figures which may be produced by the invention. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical elongate body or strip of foam material made in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a closed compartment in which two movable figures are mounted;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but on an enlarged scale and with the compartment pressurized;

FIG. 4 indicates in perspective an example of an animated figure in the relaxed state;

FIG. 5 indicates the shape of such a figure when the pressure is applied; and,

FIG. 6 shows the invention applied to a pressure indicator.

The compartment in which the movable figures are mounted preferably has a transparent wall or window 6 made of clear plastic or glass, and .can be of any desired over-all cross-section, such as cylindrical or rectangular and walls 7 and 8 are sealed to the ends of the compartment in any suitable manner. A connection 9 may be 3,142,917 Patented Aug. 4, 1964 made to the wall 8 for introducing pressure fluid, such as compressed air, and alternately exhausting the same. Of course, a second connection may be made for exhausting the air if desired.

Supported inside the closed compartment and visible through the transparent portion may be any number of movable display figures or animated devices. In FIG. 3, there is shown one such figure 10, which assumes a circular shape under pressure and another figure 11, which assumes the shape of the letter S. Each such figure has a multiplicity of integrally united, elastically walled, closed cells 12, and considering the body of material in the figure 16 which is shown in its natural condition in FIG. 1, it has opposing long parallel sides or faces 13 and 14. The surface 13 is untreated and just as it is cut from the molded mass of foam material. To the opposite surface 14, there may be applied a thin solid plastic tape 15 and secured to the body 10 by suitable adhesive. Other suitable means may be substituted for the plastic tape 15, for example, a suitable liquid plastic material may be sprayed on to the surface 14 and when such material hardens, it will provide a sufiiciently strong connection between the cells along the surface 14 so as to resist contraction or elongation of that face of the body. The body of foam material may have a flexible noncellular skin on the surface 14 which in itself, will serve as the means to resist contraction on an increase of pressure so that differential contraction of cellular and noncellular portions causes curvilinear flexure of the body. In the case of the plastic or treated tape, or one of the other expedients above suggested, the surface 14 will be sealed so that the cells in that region will not be directly affected by variations in the environmental pressure. On the other hand, the cells alongthe opposite face will be directly affected so as to shrink on an increase of pressure, and such pressure will react on the remaining cells of the body so as mechanically to compress them to a progressively lesser extent as the action proceeds toward the sealed surface. This is due to the fact that the mechanical compression of the cells is resisted to some extent by their own structural strength. I

Suitable means are employed for supporting the body of foam material sothat it will be free to move inside the compartment. For this purpose, I have indicated a pin 16 which may extend transversely through the body of figure 10 and be secured to one of the walls of the compartment.

At the left-hand side of FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown a somewhat longer strip or body 11 which will move into the shape of the letter S when the compartment is pressurized. In this case, there is illustrated a fabric tape 17 applied to the righthand elongated face 18 along the lower portion of the body of figure 11 and a similar tape 19 along the opposite face 20 covering the upper portion of the figure 11. The support for this figure 11 can be a pin 21 similar to the pin 16.

In operation, when the compartment is at atmospheric pressure, the bodies of foam material 10 and 11 will appear as straight elongated strips such as may be conveniently cut from a mass of foam material. When air pressure is introduced through the connection 9 to the compartment, the cells of each portion of the bodies or strips opposite to the surfaces which are covered by tapes 15, 17 and 19 will contract in length causing the body to curve. In the case of the right-hand body 10, when suficient pressure is applied, it will assume the shape of a circle or the letter 0. At the same time, the strip 11 at the left-hand side will contract along the left face 20 in its lower portion and along its right face 18 in its upper portion so as to form the letter S.

Various possibilities in the use of animated figures may be conceived. In FIGS. 4 and 5, I have indicated one such figure wherein a rigid block 22 supports one end of each of a pair of wing-like shapes 23 and 24. These shapes are cut from a mass of suitable plastic material and have their lower surfaces covered by tapes or treated in one of the ways described in connection with FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 so as to provide on such bottom surfaces a relatively inextensible layer so as to prevent expansion or contraction of the bodies 23 and 24 along the lower faces while permitting such action on the upper face. Thus, when subjected to pressure, the wings or bodies 23 and 24 will .curve upwardly as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 shows a pressure indicator or gauge making use of the pressure responsive closed cell foam material for actuating a dial hand. As shown, the gauge may consist of a closed compartment 25 having a dial face 26 with conventional indicia printed thereon. To the back of the dial face is attached a rigid clip 27 to which is fixed one end of an elongated strip 28 of foam material having one side sealed off at 29. The opposite end of the strip 23 carries a suitable indicator or hand 30 that shows through an arcuate slot 31 in the dial face 26. When the compartment is subjected to pressure, the strip 28 will be flexed as shown in dotted outline thereby moving the hand 3% to indicate the pressure.

It will be readily appreciated that a suitable mechanical valve arrangement can be designed so as to alternately admit and exhaust air from the compartment containing the movable display figures or the indicator dials so as to move them as frequently as desired.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a closed compartment, means for admitting pressure fluid thereto or exhausting the same therefrom, a flexible elongate body consisting of a multiplicity of integrally united, elastically walled, closed gascontaining cells, means for supporting said body in said fluid medium so that at least substantial portions of the body are freely movable in said medium, flexible sealing means on only some surface areas along the length of said body forrestraining movement of the cells in those areas when the body is subjected to changes in pressure of said fluid medium while permitting volumetric changes in the cells in the regions of the remaining areas whereby said body will flex transversely of its length in response to such changes in pressure, said compartment having a transparent wall portion.

2. In combination, a closed compartment, means for admitting pressure fluid thereto or exhausting the same therefrom, a flexible elongated body having two opposed elongated parallel faces, said body consisting of a multiplicity of integrally united, elastically walled, closed, gascontaining cells, means connected to a portion of said body to provide a support for the same in said compartment while permitting flexing of the body relative to the support; flexible sealing means applied to one of said faces to prevent substantial elongation or contraction of the body in the region of that face so that changes in environmental pressure will contract the opposing parallel face on an increase of pressure, and expand or lengthen the same on a decrease in pressure whereby said body will flex transversely of its length in response to changes in the environmental pressure, said compartment having a transparent wall portion.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein the flexible means for preventing elongation or contraction of said body along one of its faces is a relatively inextensible tape adhesively secured to such face.

4. In combination, a closed compartment, means for admitting pressure fluid thereto or exhausting the same therefrom, an elongated flexible body of foam material supported in the compartment in such a way that major portions of the body are freely movable, said body of material having two elongated faces in substantially parallel relationship, flexible relatively inextensible sealing means fixed to one of said faces but not the other, whereby an increase of pressure in said compartment causes said other face to contract substantially more than the first face to cause said body to curve, said compartment having at least one transparent wall.

5. In combination, a closed compartment, means for admitting pressure fluid thereto or exhausting the same therefrom, an elongated flexible body of foam material supported in the compartment in such a way that major portions of the body are freely movable, said flexible body being composed principally of closed gas-containing cells, a portion of said body having a flexible non-cellular surface, whereby an increase of pressure in said compartment produces differential contraction of cellular and noncellular portions which causes curvilinear flexure of said body, said compartment having at least one transparent wall portion.

Bristol Ian. 1, 1907 Brown May 22, 1934 

5. IN COMBINATION, A CLOSED COMPARTMENT, MEANS FOR ADMITTING PRESSURE FLUID THERETO OR EXHAUSTING THE SAME THEREFROM, AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE BODY OF FOAM MATERIAL SUPPORTED IN THE COMPARTMENT IN SUCH A WAY THAT MAJOR PORTIONS OF THE BODY ARE FREELY MOVABLE, SAID FLEXIBLE BODY BEING COMPOSED PRINCIPALLY OF CLOSED GAS-CONTAINING CELLS, A PORTION OF SAID BODY HAVING A FLEXIBLE NON-CELLULAR SURFACE, WHEREBY AN INCREASE OF PRESSURE IN SAID COMPARTMENT PRODUCES DIFFERENTIAL CONTRACTION OF CELLULAR AND NONCELLULAR PORTIONS WHICH CAUSES CURVILINEAR FLEXURE OF SAID BODY, SAID COMPARTMENT HAVING AT LEAST ONE TRANSPARENT WALL PORTION. 